1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high performance thin film field effect transistor which is of small area, which can be operated at high speed, and which provides high output currents. The invention more particularly relates to a thin film field effect transistor utilizing dielectric layers for providing gate electrode isolation and isolation between the source and drain regions. The dielectric layer between the source and drain also defines the current conduction channel length of the device which can be accurately controlled by the dielectric thickness.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Thin film field effect transistors generally comprise source and drain electrodes interconnected by a semiconductor material. Conduction between the electrodes takes place primarily within the semiconductor through a current conduction channel between the source and drain electrodes. The current flow between the electrodes is controlled by the application of a voltage to a gate which is adjacent at least a portion of the semiconductor and is insulated therefrom.
There are many applications wherein it is desirable to have a thin film field effect transistor capable of providing relatively high output currents and operating at relatively high speeds. One such application is in large area liquid crystal displays wherein the transistors are called upon to drive the individual pixels of the displays. The current required to drive these displays is directly related to the display area while the required device speed is directly related to the number of pixels forming the display.
In thin film field effect transistors, the device output current and operating speed is largely dependent upon the length of the current conduction channel between the source and drain. More particularly, the output current is inversely proportional to the channel length and the operating frequency is inversely proportional to the square of the channel length. Hence, if the channel length of a device can be reduced from 10 microns to 1 micron, the output current could be increased ten times and the operating speed could be increased one hundred times. In addition, if the channel length could be decreased as above, the width of the device could be decreased. For example, typical planar thin film field effect transistors have a channel length of 10 microns, a width of about 500 microns and provide output current of about 10 microamps. If the channel length of that device could be reduced to one micron, that same 10 microamps of current could be provided by a device only 50 microns wide. Hence, the total area of the device could be reduced by a factor of ten and thus the packing density could be increased by a factor of ten. By reducing the device area by one-tenth, the capacitance of the device can also be reduced by a factor of ten. Further, the resulting device, while providing the same current and occupying one-tenth the area, could also exhibit an operating frequency one hundred times higher than the original thin film field effect transistors having the ten micron channel.
Unfortunately, the channel length in conventional thin film field effect transistors cannot be readily reduced from the standard channel length of ten microns to a channel length of one micron. The reason for this is that the channel length is determined by the spacing between the drain and source electrodes. Conventional large area photolithography, the process by which the device structures are formed across 12 inch distances, has a feature size of ten microns. Hence, with conventional photolithography, as used for large areas the minimum channel length obtainable is ten microns.
More precise photolithography having feature sizes down to about one micron are known. However, this precision process is difficult to perform and the equipment necessary to practice it is extremely expensive. In addition, the one micron feature size cannot be maintained over large areas. As a result, while channel lengths in conventional thin film field effect transistors can be reduced to about one micron in the laboratory, it is expensive and cannot be provided over large areas such as is required in large area liquid crystal flat panel displays. This makes precision photolithography virtually useless in commercial applications such as liquid crystal flat panel display where one hundred percent yield over large areas is essential.
To overcome these deficiencies in prior art thin film transistor structures, a new and improved thin film field transistor has been proposed. This improved transistor is disclosed and claimed in commonly assigned copending U.S. application Ser. No. 529,299 for Thin Film Transistor filed in the names of Richard A. Flasck, et al. The transistor therein disclosed includes source and drain regions vertically displaced with respect to each other relative to a substrate and having a channel formed therebetween, the length of which is a function of the vertical displacement distance between the source and drain and which is substantially independent of the constraints otherwise imposed by horizontal lithography.
The present invention provides a new and improved thin film field effect transistor device structure of the foregoing type wherein extremely short channel lengths can be provided without the need for precise photolithography and where short channel lengths can be accurately controlled and maintained over large areas.